Archives for November 2016

Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that Andrew and I have only been married six years now.

Other, rarer times, it seems like we just got married and then all these kids appeared out of nowhere.

Yesterday was our sixth anniversary, and while the time has been short but long, it’s been a wonderful six years. Of course we’ve had our growing pains, and learning about each others’ buttons, but there has been more joy and laughter in these six years than so many more before them.

So in preparing for our anniversary, knowing that the potential of our 3rd child being born at any moment around the date, I had to start working on Andrew’s gift early.

As I contemplated what to get Andrew, a friend had some suggestions: a golf club – an “iron” if you will. A new grill? Some kind of sign?

I was feeling a little clueless.

Then Andrew and I had lunch together one day {it must have been a blue moon…} and talked about our anniversary and potential gifts. He told me that Pinterest offered 1,000+ ideas for your sixth anniversary where iron is the traditional gift.

The last of the items on this little gift list is one that I think is amazing. The guy who makes these tools used to have a son at our daycare and as the world of social media goes, I found out about his website, Wildlife Workshop Fire Tools. So I inquired about a grill spatula…

and yes, it’s monogrammed…

Aside from these gifts, I also gave him a new son…haha.

Emory was born Friday evening and we got to come home on our anniversary so it was a pretty perfect day.

This is for my co-worker friend Ashley who asked me one day how I make biscuits…

I can’t remember how old I was when my mom first taught me how to make biscuits, but I can remember how excited I was to be IN HER KITCHEN. My mom didn’t often let me in there as a kid, so the night she first introduced me to biscuit-making, it was something to be cherished. I remember standing there in the kitchen of my childhood home, with that old beat-up aluminum pan {they still have it…and one day I hope I get it!}, with all the ingredients set before me… She told me step-by-step what to do…and I was so excited to be making biscuits that night for my daddy!

You can make these without a cast-iron skillet…but you’ll be missing that crispy bottom if you do!

Take a paper towel, cover your fingers with it and get you a nice glob of Crisco to cover the bottom and sides of your skillet.

Next, with your sifter in a bowl, use a generous-sized spoon {mine belonged to my Nama and is larger than a soup spoon, but smaller than today’s serving spoons}. I usually spoon out 6-8 heaps of Self-Rising flour {pending on how many biscuits you want to make!}.

Sift up the flour {don’t spin the handle completely around!!!! Just use a back and forth motion…}

Once your flour is sifted, grab a fork and that Crisco again and scoop out another generous size {who needs actual measurements anyway?!}

With your fork, knead the Crisco into the flour so that you end up with some good crumbles

Once you’ve mixed those two together, you’ll add your milk. This is where I would get into trouble as a kid…start off slowly so you don’t end up soupy! Ha!

Mix as you go so you can anticipate how much more milk you’re going to need.

Adding more milk will get you the consistency almost like a scone batter. You want the dough just tacky enough to be able to work it into the balls to press into biscuits.

Next, grab a little flour to dust on your fingers and then scoop up some dough! Roll it within the palms of your hands to make the balls.

Then I start in the middle of my pan and work my way out and around, almost in a circle {like you’re making a pretty flower}

I press my biscuits down…to the point where my brother would always comment, “Michelle made the biscuits tonight because they’re all smushed…” He ate them anyway :-P

There always has to be a baby one…My mom always made a little one just for me…so I have kept that tradition and make sure that there’s always a little baby one in there somewhere.

Then you do a little happy dance…and fix the rest of your supper!

Bake at 400 degrees for ~25 minutes, to when they are a light golden brown.

My mom would only let me butter half of them because my daddy didn’t always want a buttered biscuit. I buttered all of these and they were delicious! Just ask Reynolds or Eliza Jane.

And here’s the little baby biscuit with just the perfect amount of honey…

I recommend eating biscuits with any kind of homemade jelly, apple butter, honey, syrup even {yes, the kind you put on waffles or pancakes!}…and my daddy eats his with Sorghum syrup.

If you use this recipe, good luck – I hope you love Grammy’s Homemade Southern Biscuits!!

I can barely believe it’s fall, y’all. With 80 degree temps still causing my feet to swell, it still feels like summer!

Nonetheless, I’m sharing with you a few of my current Fall favorites! {Click any photo for purchasing information!}

I got these fabulous riding boots a week or so ago from Land’s End, complete WITH my monogram. WHAT. Yes. {I purchased them one weekend when they were 40% off!}

My employees gave me a gift card to Magnolia {Chip & Joanna Gaines’ store} for Bosses Day this year so I got myself a Cotton Wreath {mine is the large one}! I knew it would look beautiful on our red front door!

This one is for Eliza Jane. My sweet friend Ann gave this to her when our families went to the beach together this August. It’s a cute little Halloween pumpkin tunic from Mud Pie {I love their stuff!}.

These fun little hand creams I found at World Market. I grabbed several of these at the check out one day, to keep in our downstairs bathroom for guests {or…myself}. They are the perfect amount of scent + luxury lotion.

I would not be complete without my Essie nail polish: Kimono-Over {top photo}, Velvet Voyage {middle} and my all time favorite Smokin’ Hot {bottom}.

LOVE Sweaters!!! Loft and The Limited are both having sales right now {woot!}. I purchased a couple of sweaters from Loft last week that I can’t wait to get into {post-baby, of course!}:

That’s it for me, what are some of your current Fall favorites – new or old?

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